In this new study, Derek shares with us the most important practical lessons about the life of faith he has learned from his experiences. He begins with his most outstanding message: God is faithful, and discusses how this theme runs throughout the Bible.

Today Derek emphasizes that you receive your calling from God on the day when you are saved. He then challenges us to decide to do whatever it takes to find and fulfill that calling. We must make it our goal to put our calling first in our life, and as we do, we will find that other things fit into place.

Derek takes the calling of God and extends it by showing us that we are to be servants. Even though that may entail suffering, we must first be servants of the Word and then servants of the people. If these are the other way round, it can lead to many problems. Nothing else can come before serving the Word of God.

We all have battles in our minds—in our thoughts. Our minds are at enmity with God, hostile to His Word, and need to be changed. Today Derek explains, through the Word and personal experience, how we must fight our way through discouragement, doubt, and fear to walk in victory in truth.

One of the mental fortresses we battle is pride. Derek stresses that the essential condition for receiving the Word of God is humility. He shares that in the process of self-humbling we must put down pride and choose humility instead. As we do so in God’s sight, He will give us the grace to succeed.

Derek continues his teaching this week on learning by living; by looking at some vital practical lessons he learned in serving God and His people. Today he emphasizes the importance of what we say with our mouths—whether we mean what we say, or not. Scripture makes it clear that we are responsible for what we say. Your words indicate what is in your heart.

Just what is the gospel of the kingdom? Derek points out the need for the gospel message to be presented fully. He tells us the “good news” culminates in the kingship of Jesus coming into each person’s life. It is to be an inward kingdom consisting of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Derek uses the experience of his wife, Lydia’s, death to expose us to the reality of this temporary life. Instead, we must hang on to the strength and truth of the eternal. We should be willing to give up what we have here in this life, trusting that God cares and has a plan for us. In the midst of all that is impermanent and fading, it is only the Word of God that is enduring and permanent, unshakable, unmovable, and eternal.